"D" is for "date"

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One of the hardest parts of learning English is learning multiple meanings of common words in English. However, this problem can be looked at as an advantage since one word can do double or triple duty in different contexts. Take, for example, the word "date." Sometimes for vocabulary to stick in your memory, it helps to have a visual image, so I have provided some illustrations to help you. 

In the first photo (#1), you see something that looks like an orchard of palm trees.They are date palms. Although I've never had fresh dates, I am told by my Middle Eastern students that people in that region of the world eat both dried and fresh dates.There are several different types of date, and some of them are as sweet or sweeter than honey!  

The second photo is a common scene around the world, with a happy couple facing each other over a meal. The reader can easily imagine this young lady and man are out on a date (#2). This is the meaning that many students will be familiar with. In this second case, date can act as a verb or a noun. For example, "Jane and Jim have been dating each other for a year."  "They often go out on dates."  

Finally, photo #3 shows a calendar with an important date circled in red. An important date usually includes the month, day, and year of a noteworthy event, such as an earthquake or a birth. In addition, date can be used as a verb, such as "dating (=writing a date on ) a letter or postcard" that you are sending to a friend.  Now you have five different ways to use the word date.